To Find Her
by BooksMakeMagicForMe
Summary: Loki has been broken and beaten by Oren for years, this is his journey to find Wendy and what happens when he does. Warning: Does not follow the book series! I repeat, Does not!
1. Waking Up

Loki Staad blinked awake, and stared at the stone ceiling of his room.

The first thing he smelt was the metallic scent of blood. The first thought he had was 'Who?' and his second feeling after confusion was pain.

The wounds on his back seared and he found he couldn't move, tied to the stone beneath him. Slowly, memory came back to him and he winced, remembering the brutal whipping over… her. That innocent but somehow fiery princess of the Trylle.

The thought of her made him dizzy and he suddenly needed her. But he was Vittra, and her Trylle, no less than a princess. An engaged princess, he reminded himself.

That was a mistake. Suddenly the pain got to him, the burning of his wounds, the anger, and the loneliness built up, he wanted to rip her fiancée up, watch him bleed. And then he saw it.

All he had to do was escape. There was no reason not to, his anger would fuel him. Moving his limbs caused unimaginable pain, but he did it. The ropes broke and he untied his ankles. Standing, his knees weakened, but he continued, putting one foot in front of the other, concentrating on her image, on… Wendy.


	2. Escape and Survive

When Loki reached the door, it took all of his considerable amount of strength to turn the door handle and swing a punch at the guard outside the room. He forced his weary, broken and beaten body to run, run like the wind and soon he was at the tapestry which concealed a secret entrance and exit. Slipping past the hanging cloth, he opened the door, made himself run up to the wall and jumped. Landing neatly on the other side he sprinted for the cover of the trees. Follow the river, he told himself, you'll be fine. Just follow the meandering stream. By the time he made it a mile, he was thirsty, half-starved and faint from loss of blood. He fell asleep on his feet, tumbling into a cold, wet ditch for the night.

When he woke, he was damp with sweat and blood. Taking a few moments to brace himself, he slowly reached around and traced his wounds. Swollen, a little sore, but mostly healed. He didn't think his Vittra healing abilities would work so quickly. But they had, and that he was thankful for. Standing, he coked his head and listened for anything suspicious. Nothing, but he could hear what he could bet was a bird in one of the low branches of the trees around him, so he decided that hunting might be the best thing he could do for a while. Slowly moving towards the rustling in a crouch he readied himself to spring; and when the time came he was ready. Examining the creature after the kill, he was quite happy. The bird was plump and young, so wouldn't be tough. Maybe a bit sinewy though, but he had had to hunt before.

After wiping grease from his lips he continued on his way, night coming fast. He had miles to go and not much energy, so finding a safe place to eat and hunt for a few days was his priority. After collecting a couple of logs and sticks he stacked them together to make three walls against a thick tree trunk and used some huge ferns and more sticks as the roof, which would keep out some wind, rain and snow. Falling asleep on a bed of moss and damp leaves he dreamed of Wendy and woke up happy.


	3. Fighting for Life

Loki stayed camped out at his little base for five days roughly, and it was with a little sadness that the destroyed the camp and left. His trek continued on for days covering up to seven miles in a day, but ending up exhausted. He knew he was getting close to the Trylle, because occasionally heard trackers talking and laughing about something that he didn't understand, but from what he had picked up, Wendy had been caught spying around the palace lately, and on Elora of all people! He felt a burst of pride at hearing this news, and continued on his way for another couple of hours afterwards. But things took a turn for the worse.

He was attacked by two Vittra guards, one armed with a spear and the other with a good, old-fashioned gun. The one with the gun was less experienced and as soon as he tried to fire his weapon flew out of his hands. He was an easy takedown for Loki, whose wounds were now healed and he had plenty of energy from his meal of berries and roasted rabbit earlier in the day. But Loki was momentarily unprepared and the other, still-breathing guard jabbed the spear into Loki's side, and twisted for good measure, before leaving his victim bleeding in the dirt. Loki crawled to a tree, leaned against it with his hand pressing into his wound and fainted.

When Loki woke he was disorientated, in extreme pain and also surrounded by trackers. 'Umm…' Was all one of them said. 'Uhh, okay, I think we should…' Was what the second said. And suddenly a third tracker pushed past both of them with a frustrated yell. 'Who are you and why are you here' He questioned, angrily, and then his eyes widened. 'My God…' He muttered. 'I know you! You were at the Vittra palace dungeon thingie when we broke Wendy out, right!' 'Right' came Loki's weak reply. 'And as a thank-you for letting your princess out of the, uh, dungeon thingy, can I have some medical help? Please?'. 'Oh, crap, right! Look, you're not allowed into the palace as a Vittra, so I'll get you help out here, okay?' The man said. 'Sure, sure, just hurry your ass up, yeah?' Loki replied, more than a bit angry.

The man left two trackers guarding him and brought three with him. He returned with a tall woman who had her nose in the air while she was walking, and a confused look when she saw Loki's injuries. 'Gunshot wound and a spear' she noted as she examined the deep gash. 'Whoa, whoa, hold up. Gunshot wound?' He yelped. He thought that the guard had missed! No, he knew it! 'Yes, looks bad, but it should be healable'. 'Okay, so can we get to the healing?' Loki asked in a strained voice. 'Yes, yes, fine, I can't be hasty about this you know!' She said, flustered. So Loki was healed, but not allowed into the palace unless it was to be killed or locked up. 'Umm, yeah, option C, none of the above please!' he muttered to the tall male who had gotten him medical help. So much for simple plans.


	4. Amnesty

'Look, I'll let you go, but you're gonna have to stay away, okay? If you stay, you'll be found by another Trylle tracker, and promptly shot. Vittra aren't the only ones with guns.' Finn yelled. 'Look! I have a reason to be here, okay?' Loki yelled back angrily.

'Right' Tove Kroner said, as he stepped past Finn. 'Would you like to tell us your reason then?'

'How long have you been here Tove?' Finn asked, a hint of fear in his voice. 'Oh, he just got here' Loki said boredly. 'What?' He asked innocently. 'I'm perceptive'. 'Why are you here?' said Tove. 'I want amnesty' Loki muttered. 'You better come to the palace' Tove sighed. 'It's Elora's decision, she's the queen.' And that's how Loki ended up walking with heavy heart and not much hope to the palace, between Finn and Tove.

When they reached the wall, the Trylle men turned to go the long way, but Loki had a much simpler way of getting in. 'You know you can just jump the wall right? Or Tove can do that levitation thing for you and I can jump it.' Finn asked him to try with an evil smirk, so Loki braced himself and jumped. Landing neatly beside a bed of brightly coloured roses on the other side of the high brick wall, he gave a small smirk of his own and turned to look at the palace.

Apparently, the other two had decided to go the other, normal way, so Loki began walking towards the amazing buildings of Trylle society. He heard footsteps in the grass and a soft hum came through the trees, accompanied by a beautiful singing voice. 'You're an amazing singer, Rhiannon!' Came a young woman's voice when the music stopped. 'You're much better Wendy. Let's try a different type of music, how about… Rock?' Said another woman, Rhiannon, Loki supposed.

He was about to leave but then he realised… Wendy. That Rhiannon girl had called the other Wendy! There was no other Trylle with the name Wendy, there had been much talk about the anger of the clans throughout the area because of Wendy wanting to keep her changeling name. Loki quietly made his way through the trees where he could here Wendy and Rhiannon debating about what song to try. 'No screaming, I can't do that.' Rhiannon said. 'But screaming is fun! We won't do real screamo, just a tiny, tiny bit.' Wendy wheedled. 'Please…' 'Okay…' Rhiannon muttered. 'But this is the last one!' 'Shut up for a minute Rhiannon, I can hear someone coming.' Wendy said urgently.

Loki cautiously stepped out of the shadow of the trees and Wendy gasped. 'What are you doing here?' 'To see you, and get amnesty, of course.' Loki said with a confident grin. 'How long-' 'Have I been here? Not too long, just enough time to hear you debating about screamo. I didn't think you were into that sort of thing, Wendy.' Wendy promptly blushed pink. 'This is Rhiannon by the way. Rhiannon, this is Loki.' 'Yup, I figured that out from the TEN THOUSAND TIMES YOU'VE DESCRIBED HIM!' Rhiannon yelled, and then grinned to her friend. 'Don't. Even. Think. About. It.' Wendy growled to Loki through gritted teeth, and Rhiannon pulled her hair playfully.

After a few minutes of conversation Rhiannon decided to threaten Loki with 'If you even think about mentioning this singing stuff to anyone, I'll kick your ass around the block, and watch you bleed from places where no-one should bleed. I'll make sure you regret it. I'm good at that stuff.' 'Wow, you actually make that sound painful, but what can you really do?' 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' Wendy muttered. Rhiannon's roundhouse kick hit him right in the temple and he yelped and took a step back. 'Ouch!' He cried. 'What was that for?' 'You asked.' She answered with a shrug.

'Now, I'm guessing it's kind of illegal for me to be here right now, so I need to go and hopefully get amnesty.' Loki said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. 'Yeah, but we'll help you out. Elora will listen to me sometimes, and if she doesn't I can always knock a few chandeliers with my mind to annoy her.' Wendy laughed, and Loki almost fainted. 'You better go, I'm pretty sure Tove and Finn are looking for you.' Rhiannon said worriedly. 'If Finn finds me out here, he'll tell my father, who will promptly kill me. Come to my funeral.' 'See you around… maybe.' Loki said and winked, before turning and walking towards the palace.


	5. Adding a Thread to Life

Loki pushed aside the glass doors and made his way into the palace, where he found Tove and Finn having a quiet conference. 'Where the hell were you?' Finn asked angrily. 'Oh, just talking' Loki replied with ease. Inside he was full of fear; he knew that if he wasn't granted amnesty he would not be spared. Death would be welcome after the torture he would endure. Finn ushered Loki into a large room where a woman in a chair was sat, painting. He knew immediately that this was Elora. Elora stood and faced Loki with an air of arrogance and nodded to Finn, who left immediately. 'So, amnesty is it?' Elora asked, examining her fingernails. 'Yeah.' he muttered. 'I paint the future you know. You play a large part in the future of the Trylle, in both good and bad ways. I am inclined to lock you up and starve you slowly for the crimes the paintings say you will commit, but the future can change, as can a person. Your fate is intertwined with my daughter's, and I want only for her protection. You can swear to be faithful to the Trylle, or die. My choices play a part also, and my choices will decide many of yours. Choose wisely. It is a hard life when none trust you enough to tell you that which they understand will affect your future. But I am trusting you with what I know. That you will need the Trylle, as we will need you. Make your choice. The hard road ahead, or a quick death. I will grant you that much.' She gave a thin smile as she uttered the final sentence. Loki hardly had to think about what his decision would be. 'If ever your daughter is involved, I will be by her side. I made the journey here for her and I am willing to join the Trylle if it gives her a chance of protection. I want amnesty. That is my choice.' His voice was strong, and a warm feeling invaded his body. He had a chance of happiness. This was something he had not had before, had never known in his life. Who knew that nineteen years of life without happiness could be forgotten in one, perfect moment? 'Well, Finn will show you to your room. I would advise caution in your first weeks; old grudges are not easily forgotten. And never forgotten when it comes to a former Vittra Markis.' Loki bowed his head, before turning and leaving the room, almost colliding with Finn who had been listening at the door. 'Come on.' He said coldly before turning and walking up the marble staircase with Loki following behind. As soon as they reached the room that was to be Loki's, Finn grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the door, using the element of surprise to his advantage. 'You're just here for Wendy aren't you? You'll wait until we trust you and then you'll hurt her. Break her. She's been broken before, and I'll be watching to make sure it doesn't happen again. Understand?' He hissed. Loki rammed Finn into the opposite wall and smiled slightly. 'Think I'm ruining your chances Lover-Boy? I already have.' He growled and walked into his room. It was painted in bright white and had a huge window covering one wall, as was a feature in all rooms in this side of the palace, including Wendy's. A king-sized bed in the middle was new to him, but it was the bookcases that really stood out. Dozens of them, some holding CDs and DVDs while most of them held books. Old classics, Young adult novels, crime, romance, drama, all of it was contained within the covers of the books on the shelves. He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Wendy enter and close the door behind her. 'I'm not supposed to be here, but Finn is being a bastard so I decided to come see how you were settling in.' she said softly. Her phone started playing a song randomly, which Loki didn't recognise. 'Sorry, normally this alarm gets me out of meetings right about now. I pretend it's important but just put this on repeat.' 'What song is it?' he asked. 'Oh, it's Fallen Kingdom by CaptainSparklez. It has a really good video, want to see?' He nodded and motioned for her to sit down in one of the chairs by the large window. She opened up YouTube on her phone and searched 'Fallen Kingdom Minecraft' in the search window. It was good but he had a few questions afterwards. 'I'm guessing that the game is Minecraft because it's made out of blocks. But who's Herobrine?' 'Oh, he's supposedly the ghost of Notch's dead brother who haunts people and griefs them.' She answered. 'What happened with Finn earlier?' 'Oh, he was eavesdropping, heard stuff he shouldn't have and jumped to conclusions.' He said nervously. 'That's more than he would say anyway. He must have hit you pretty hard, you've got a bruise.' She laughed. 'He's not that tough, it'll heal in a couple hours from the crazy Vittra healing thingy.' He replied with a lopsided grin. 'Are you sure? I can get Aurora if you want.' She asked. 'I'll be fine. Shouldn't you go to whatever crazy meeting thing you're trying to get out of?' 'Nah, it's just a load of stuff about…' She broke off shuddering. 'Wedding plans.' 'Don't go ahead with it. Leave him at the altar, he's not who he pretends to be. He's just using you for power. He has to be.' He desperately said. 'I can't' she whispered. 'It's like the song. 'Life itself suspended by a thread.' I need to… to add a thread to it, and keep holding on. I've fallen before, I can't fail again.' He didn't have to think about it. His second spur-of-the-moment decision of the hour. He leaned in and, ever so softly, his lips touched hers.


	6. Together Once More

**A very big thank you to BookwormsAreADyingRace for every second paragraph in this chapter! Couldn't have done this without her!**

* * *

Loki looked deep into Wendy's eyes as she tensed up but suddenly she seemed to give in to him. 'Loki… I can't leave the Trylle, but I don't want to marry Tove! I'm stuck.'

'What did you mean about failing before? I can't imagine you failing. It just doesn't happen!' Loki asked, confused. He just didn't understand. All this talk of failing was messing with him and he didn't get it.

Wendy looked up into Loki's caramel eyes and melted under his gaze.  
"Well, y'know" she mumbled "It's just, when you're a princess everyone expects you to be... perfect." she said, looking down at her feet.  
Loki put two fingers under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking up at him again.  
"_You_ are perfect. To me..." he said, his voice full of compassion. Wendy's eyes widened in surprise and then she blushed, looking away from him whilst muttering a thanks.

Suddenly, Loki traced his thumb down her cheek and she met his gaze again. She gasped as he wrapped a strong arm around her slender waist and pressed her closer to his body. When their lips met, Wendy felt like she was breaking an important rule or something. Like she was betraying and dishonouring her family.  
But right now that didn't matter. This was her life, her choice. She let out a small squeak as Loki deepened the kiss and their breath mingled together. This was even better than their first kiss, even better than Finn's...

Loki pulled away from her and gave a small, sad smile. "I guess you should go" he murmured.  
"I probably should... But I'm not going to" Wendy replied with a bright smile and then leaned forward to kiss him again.  
"So you choose me and not that tracker you're always talking about?" He laughed and wrapped both arms around her waist gently, holding her tenderly. She leaned her head against his chest with a sigh. Suddenly, the door banged open and Finn stood there, taking in the couples' embrace.

"Wendy, get out of here!" He yelled, as Loki stood and pushed Wendy behind him protectively. Finn strode over to the two and darted around Loki, grabbing Wendy's wrist and wrenching her towards the door furiously. Loki's fist met Finn's jaw and he fell to the ground in pain. Loki cradled Wendy in his arms and whispered comforting words into her ear, occasionally pressing his lips to her hair. She sobbed into his chest and whispered that she felt guilty, like she had done something wrong. "Never feel guilty about anything, Wendy. Chances are it's not your fault." He murmured into her thick, brown curls. "Never."

Loki waited until her sobs had subsided and then lifted a hand to catch a single tear rolling down her cheek. Her face was all blotchy and her eyes were fixed on Finn's crumpled form lying on the floor.  
"Is he unconscious?" she asked tentatively, her voice coming out raspy and hoarse.  
Loki walked over to where Finn's still form was and reached down to turn him over so he was lying on his back.  
"Yeah" he replied softly gazing over to Wendy. Suddenly she chuckled.  
"You must have hit him really hard then" she said laughing. Loki frowned.  
"What's so funny? I thought you liked the guy?" he asked, looking puzzled.  
"Well, yeah, I do. But Loki's a tough guy!" she said with a smirk.

* * *

**FINN'S THOUGHTS**

I hate Loki right now. Not only does he flirt with Wendy, not that I'm jealous, he has the nerve to sneak into the castle to see her! The Princess! I could punch him, I really could. Wendy doesn't need this extra pressure added on, as well as the pressure of her up-coming marriage – that's why I try to stay away from her. I don't mean to upset her.

She clearly doesn't want to marry Tove. It's obvious. She never speaks to him, keeps herself locked in her room most of the time, and always looks depressed. I wish I could hold her, hug her, even kiss her, I would do anything to make her feel better but I know that it's not safe. Not with Aurora snooping around all the time...

* * *

"Yeah right. Tough guy." Loki laughed. "Call your other tracker or a guard, why don't you, he's cluttering up my room."

Wendy laughed, and kicked Finn hard in the side of the head.  
"He'll wake up soon enough. He's just wimping out!"  
Loki was shocked at the change in her personality. He wanted to tell her to just act normal but he could see that she was in shock. The fact that her friend and first love was lying on the floor unconscious might have had a part in that.

"Maybe you should go lie down for a while…" Loki said uneasily. He didn't want her collapsing in his room, that wouldn't be good for either of them.  
"Relax, Loki. I'll get him out of here." She replied boredly.  
Calling Duncan, she turned to face Loki again, and smiled. "There's a guard listening outside. That's why I've been acting weird." She said it quietly, with a hint of laughter in her voice.  
Loki was relieved and smiled back at her, just as Duncan knocked on the closed door, and entered.  
"Duncan, would you mind moving him? And keep your mouth shut, no-one is to know about this!" She hissed.

Duncan looked at her strangely before dragging the limp form of Finn out of the door and into the hall which led the opposite direction to the eaves-dropping guard. Wendy sighed and pressed her head against Loki's chest. Listening to the slow but steady thud of his heartbeat she became used to the rhythm and they stood there for a while, not moving... until Loki pushed her out the way.  
Wendy stumbled backwards and let out a small yelp and turned her confused brown eyes towards Loki.  
"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.  
Loki didn't answer her, but instead went completely pale and bolted out of the room, ignoring the angry guards shouting after him.


	7. Goodbye, Farewell

Loki ran through the winding corridors of the palace, his breath coming in short bursts. He made it to the garden where he had first met Wendy and Rhiannon earlier in the day. A strange boy was sitting on a bench talking to Rhiannon, and Loki slowed his pace to a walk. "Loki?" Rhiannon asked, confused. "Elora let you stay! Epic!" She yelled, and Loki laughed. "You are so weird." The boy muttered with a shake of his head. "I'm Rhys by the way." Loki nodded. "Loki." He replied. He couldn't tear his thoughts away from Wendy for more than a few seconds at a time. It hurt him a little to think of how confused she must be right now, with him bolting and leaving her bewildered in her room. "I gotta go. You know, stuff to do, prophecies to contemplate, nothing much, but still…" Rhiannon let out a giggle, and then nodded. "See you around then!" She said brightly, and threw an empty Mountain Dew bottle at Rhys' head. As Loki walked away, the sounds of the two faded into the distance.

The gardens were enormous; he could live in them without getting caught for days. Beautiful flowers bloomed, and if Wendy was there it would be the most amazing thing he might see in his life. He shook his head sadly. He couldn't think about her right now. His feeling for her were getting too strong, overwhelming him. If he had stayed with her in his room for another few minutes, he could have gone too far. That was something he didn't want to do. It would mean losing her trust, and maybe hurting her, in more ways than one. The prophecy was on his mind. It said a lot of stuff about Wendy, and how he came into her future a lot. But… crimes? Against Wendy maybe? He didn't even want to think about it. Maybe he had just avoided one right now. Hurting his true love would kill him. He angrily kicked out at a clump of dirt, and bit his lip hard to stop the yell that threatened to escape his lips. He yearned to wrap his arms around Wendy, hear her voice, watch her move daintily around his room, knowing exactly where everything was and what to do to make him feel better.

With a sigh, Loki turned and almost jumped out of his skin at the sight of Wendy walking down the hilly path. "I thought I might find you here!" She called, and looked at him, confused. "What's up?" He loved the way she didn't hold a grudge against him for his behaviour. The way her eyes widened when she was confused. "Sorry. Just… overwhelmed, I guess." Loki lied. If she knew how strong his feelings for her were, she would run from him. The need to be close to her made him step forward, and look the young woman in front of him in the eyes. His hand reached forward and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. She blushed and looked at the ground, and Loki almost laughed at the embarrassed look on her beautiful face. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

He pulled her to him and kissed her hard, his lips greedy, his arms winding around her slender waist. She pulled away for breath and looked at him angrily. "I came to tell you something Loki. And not that I am breaking off my engagement. I am getting married in three days. The wedding date has been pushed forward, and I can't do this right now. Either you leave me alone and forget about the possibility of us, or you leave the Trylle. So what's your choice? Because I can't stand it anymore. Since you left me in the garden that time, I have been waiting for you. I have had suitors from all over, people visiting and asking for my hand, but I waited for you! I have waited for almost a year now Loki, that is too long. My mother had to arrange a marriage for me, because she pretended that she didn't know who I wanted more than anyone. She knew, I saw the paintings that she did to figure out what was wrong with me. I wouldn't eat, sleep, the only thing I enjoyed was singing with Rhiannon and talking with Willa. I waited so long and when you finally turned up, you expected me to just fall in love with you, like you expected me to do the first time we met. We are over, we never even started! And it is all your fault you arrogant prick!"

"I didn't think you felt that way. I'll leave you alone, princess. Don't worry about that." Loki's voice was hushed and cold, and pierced Wendy painfully, sending a lightning bolt through her heart. "I wish you would understand." For a long time after that, Wendy thought about Loki's last, whispered sentence to her. Loki's thoughts were occupied with her for the rest of the day. He needed her forgiveness, but how to get it? That was the question he sought to answer, not leaving his room for the rest of the day.

Over the next day, Wendy had to make preparations for her wedding, but she was given the day before the ceremony off. She decided to track down either Finn or Loki, whoever she saw first, and get some sympathy from them. Walking into the library, she spotted Finn with his head buried in a book. "Hey." She murmured into his ear, and he turned and smiled thinly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked in a soft voice. She whined and complained for a bit about her wedding the next day, and then said something shocking. "It's my last day as a free woman, so here goes!" She giggled, and then pressed her lips to his. Warmth pooled in Finn's stomach as he kissed her back and pressed her against the library wall. His hand made its way to her thigh, and he pushed up her dress slightly. She gave a soft moan and pulled away, giving him a seductive look. He didn't hesitate, kissing her again, harder this time.

Quite suddenly, he was wrenched away from Wendy by the hair and greeted by Thomas, his father, and Loki, who was leaning against a shelf with a smug smile on his face. "So, you're content to break it off with me multiple times princess, but you go to him the day before your wedding? You should be ashamed." Angry, Finn took a step towards Loki but was held back by his father. "Princess, get to your room. Don't even think about leaving." Thomas growled, and Wendy nodded, fixing her gown before walking quickly out the room, her cheeks aflame. "Finn. You will not attend the wedding ceremony tomorrow, nor the feast. I don't care about what you have to say on the subject. Elora will be hearing about this." Finn looked at the ground, tears pricking his eyes as his father said the words. Loki was ecstatic though. All that was left to do was apologise to Wendy and earn her trust again. Easy…

Wendy was sobbing on her bed when he entered the room. "What the hell do you want?" She sobbed, glaring at him. "I want to apologise. I was an idiot for thinking that you would wait. And I'm sorry for today. I don't want you to get into trouble over it. I just… I was jealous that you didn't come to me instead of him. I wish that I could have more time with you but… obviously that is not to be. I just need to tell you that I will always be here if you need me. Call and I'll be waiting for you. Forgive me." Loki said this with so much passion and feeling that Wendy was almost tipped over the edge. She wanted to run to him, bury her head in his chest, and ask him if they could leave this place. But she couldn't do that. She was a princess, not a weak little girl. She stood and slapped him hard across the face. Then, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, she opened the door and pointed to it. "There is the door. Use it." She growled. He smiled and whispered something softly as he passed. He turned as he reached the door and kissed her again. "I… Goodbye. I won't bother you again, as I promised." He whispered into her ear, and left the room, leaving her shocked and alone for the second time that day.


	8. Come With Me

Wendy cried. She poured out her tears into her pillow, sobbing as quietly as she could so as not to arouse attention. Sometime during the night she fell asleep, the tears drying on her cheeks. When she awoke, the sun streamed through her curtains, blinding her. It was a beautiful day, contrasting perfectly with Wendy's mood. She felt dark, dull, like something was missing. Maybe it was just, oh, her feelings! It was as if she couldn't feel, couldn't experience emotions any longer. Not even sadness, and she had cried her last tear in a while. She had none left for anyone, especially Loki. That… There were no words for the way he had acted. She couldn't call him anything, because thinking about him made her weak in her own eyes. She wore a dress of dark red, with black stitching. It was just two days before her wedding to Tove, and she supposed that she should be wearing bright colours, dancing around, making arrangements, acting like the blushing bride that she was meant to be. But to her, marriage to Tove was something to dread, and the loss of her freedom of choice in who she pledged her love to was something to mourn. She was going to miss this, being able to look at Loki and wonder if his offer in the gardens, the first time that they had kissed, still stood. Whether Finn would ever look at her in that infuriatingly blank way that he always did, before letting his emotions through and kissing her. But now, she would be tied to Tove, unable to even think about the man that she loved. Yes, man. She loved Loki, loved him more than she could ever even care for Finn. Finn was like a brother to her, and Loki was like… the man that was there in her dreams, dreams about husbands and children and loving, caring families. But now, her dreams were shattered.

Loki, meanwhile, spent his day in his room, playing video games. He knew that he had lost, not the game, but love. He missed Wendy so much, longed to hold her in his arms, but he had promised. He had promised that she wouldn't be bothered by him, wouldn't even see him again until after the wedding. It was insanely hard, but he would do it for her. He loved her, so he would do what she asked… for a while at least. At that thought, a small smile began to form on his lips and he laughed quietly. "Tomorrow…" He murmured, and nodded to himself. That was it! He would go to her tomorrow, and convince her to leave with him for just a few days, until the wedding should have been over, but with the bride gone it couldn't go ahead, could it? To hell with it, he couldn't wait. He had never been good at keeping reluctant promises anyway. If it was his choice, he would keep the promise forever but if he _had_ to make the choice, and had no other options, he was never able to keep it. He stood quickly and left the room, walking through the empty corridors. Everywhere was quiet except the ballroom where final preparations were being put into place. He neatly avoided anyone he saw, until he reached Wendy's room. He knocked and Wendy's voice was like music to his ears. "Come in." She said boredly, obviously trying to hide her emotions. He entered, giving her a nervous smile. "I thought you promised that I wouldn't see you again! At least not until after the wedding!" Loki's nerves were high as he walked to the chair by the window in her room and sat down, after closing the door. "I want you to leave here with me. Just for two or three days. So that you won't have to marry Tove and you can fall in love with whoever you wish." He blurted, giving Wendy a worried look. "Your mother told me that… that I would hurt you, but I could help you too, and the latter would be more my style." He laughed, with a winning smile in her direction. "Ok." She whispered. "Just get me the hell out of here; I can't be in this place anymore!" Loki was shocked at her but really, was he about to tell her to stay? Wendy stood at the same time as Loki and walked over to him. Her arms wrapped around him and he kissed the top of her head, his lips brushing her soft, curly hair. "Let's go." He whispered in her ear, and she smiled, before pulling away from his embrace and stepping towards the door. "There are a lot of secrets in the palace… I think I'll show you my favourite."


	9. Three's a Crowd

Wendy ran through the corridors with Loki by her side, both laughing cheerfully. Suddenly, they didn't care about whether they were caught or not. They were unstoppable, unbeatable, their hearts pounding with sheer excitement and joy, adrenaline rushing through their veins. Eventually, after many twists and turns, the duo reached a door. Anyone would have thought that it was just a storage closet, and if they had wasted their time opening the strange door they wouldn't have noticed anything unusual, but Wendy knew the secrets of this place like the back of her hand and simply led Loki into the cramped maze of brooms and buckets with her.

At the back was another, smaller door which Wendy began to pick with a hair pin.  
"I never knew that you could pick locks, Princess", Loki said with a smile, and Wendy laughed.  
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me Loki!" She replied wryly, and the man behind her began to laugh before winding his arms around her waist.

As he did so there was a click and Wendy cheered quietly as the door swung open. Behind it was a cold, damp passageway lit by faintly burning torches leading to a ladder.

As Wendy and Loki began to walk down the passageway, they heard footsteps coming from behind them and as Loki turned he was greeted by a slap around the head from the girl standing in front of them. From the "Ouch!" he heard from Wendy, he guessed that she had gotten the same treatment.  
"Where the heck do you think you're going without me?!" The strange person yelled and Wendy shushed her hurriedly.  
"Keep your voice down, Rhiannon!" She exclaimed and Loki stood back to get a proper glimpse of Rhiannon. She was glaring angrily at him, looking like she was about to kick him in the head- again.

"So where are we going?" She asked with a grin and Loki groaned.  
"We are going somewhere as far away as possible, while you are on a one-way trip back to the palace." He growled and Wendy looked at him sharply.  
"She can stay".  
"No she can't".

"Yes, she damn well can".  
"Sorry Princess, but-"  
I'M NOT LEAVING DAMMIT, DEAL WITH IT YOU PIECE OF SH-"  
"Calm down, both of you! You're acting like kids, shut up and let's go! We haven't exactly got time to waste!" Wendy exclaimed and stubbornly, Loki shook his head.

"Why. Not. Loki?" Wendy asked through gritted teeth but Loki just smirked at her.  
"Fine. Just fine. You can stay here, get your ass kicked by a bunch of Trylle guards and then die a slow, painful death at the hands of my mother for attempting to leave with the princess. Or, you know, you could stop being an ass and come with us. Take your pick." Rhiannon said, seeming pretty cheerful considering the situation.

"Hmm… I've thought about it and perhaps it would be a better idea to come with. Just saying."

Rhiannon seemed annoyed at the fact that she wasn't going to get to kick him for being stubborn, but Wendy just stepped a little closer to him and her hand slipped into his.

"You're cold…" Loki murmured, and Wendy smiled.  
"I'll be fine" She whispered while Rhiannon made puking noises in the background.  
The small group walked to the ladder and both girls looked at Loki.

"You're the guy, start climbing." Rhiannon smirked.

Sighing, Loki began to make his way up the ladder. At the top was a trapdoor and when he lifted it he found himself looking out into a forest. Àfter a few second he realised that it was the very same forest he had made his way through to get to the Trylle. With a bitter sigh he remembered that he had destroyed the small camp he had stayed in to heal. Probably for the best anyway, it was closer to the Vittra than Loki would like.

"What's taking so long?" Rhiannon called, and Loki replied with a simple gesture to come on up. After a few minutes the two girls had reached the top and all three were standing on the edge of the forest, wondering what the next few days would hold.


End file.
